The German contralto, Erika Schmidt (or Erika Schmidt-Valentin), spent her youth in Magdeburg. She studied singing at the Berliner Musikhochschule with Dagmar Freiwald-Lange.

Erika Schmidt began her career as a concert and oratorio singer in the GDR and distinguished herself primarily as an interpreter of J.S. Bach. In 1967 she came into the Federal Republic of Germany and gave very successful concerts. On the stage she appeared in Heidelberg, however, she preferred the Lieder and especially the oratorio singing. She had great success as a soloist at the concerts of Birnauer Kantorei, but also for concert events in the major German cities and in Zürich, Basel, Bern, Paris, Rome, Florence and Luxembourg. In addition to the works of J.S. Bach, her extensive repertoire included works by George Frideric Handel, L.v. Beethoven, Mozart, George Frideric Handel, George Frideric Handel, Rossini and many other masters.